Narrative Essay

The Determinable Role Model - John

I visited a business recently on behalf of a promotional company I work for part-time. The business is very successful and people are really fighting to get a position to work there.  I had an appointment with the marketing manager and they told me to wait in the reception area, where I met a very nervous interviewee, John.

 I saw John from the corner of my eye, sitting in the chair next to me. John had papers in his hand which were rattling and his leg was shaking uncontrollably.  At first I tried to ignore him, but after a few minutes I asked him why he is so nervous.  Our conversation that followed completely changed my day, maybe even my life. John told me that he was here for an interview for assistant manager of the business and that he was feeling very scared and nervous. John grew up in a very poor household and only his mother raise him. When his mother passed away it was John’s responsibility to take care of his younger brother and sister. John was motivated to change his life and succeeded in school, which led him to receiving a bursary to study business.  John passed all his subjects with a distinction all four years of his studies.

John was the most polite person I have ever met in my life with a genuinely warm heart. I nearly teared up as he told me his story. I finally understood why he was so nervous about the interview, it was because it meant so much to him and he wanted to give his brother and sister a better life and set an example for them. When John was called in for his interview, the other interviewee came out of the office and was boasting about he definitely got the job, because his father knew the owner of the business. John’s anxiety became even worse. I wished him luck and he left for the interview.

A few months I revisited the business for promotional reasons and to my delight I saw John worked there.  I thought back to the other interviewee and I realised – you shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch. John is a very good example of a role model for young people and in my heart I hope that he reaches success in his career – and life.